§ 1. Ann Clwyd (Cynon Valley)If he will make a statement on the EU troika visits to the great lakes and to East Timor. [44513]
§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. Derek Fatchett)I apologise for the absence of my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, who is attending the Cardiff European Council.
The Minister of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Manchester, Central (Mr. Lloyd), led a three-day EU troika visit to Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo on 2 to 4 June. The troika had productive meetings with the Presidents of each of the four countries. It reiterated the EU's commitment to promoting stability; security; democracy; respect for the rule of law and human rights; and economic development for the benefit of the great lakes region.
The EU heads of mission troika visit to East Timor, scheduled for early June, has been postponed because of Indonesian security concerns. We hope to reinstate the visit as soon as possible.
§ Ann ClwydOn East Timor, does my hon. Friend agree that there is now a real opportunity to solve the long-standing problem of that very unfortunate country? Does he agree that President Habibie's suggestion of special status for East Timor within Indonesia falls far short of the right of the people of East Timor to a referendum, to allow them to determine their future and choose self-determination if they wish, as is their right under international law and United Nations resolutions?
§ Mr. FatchettI very much agree with my hon. Friend's first comments. We now have a window of opportunity to 116 make progress in resolving the long-standing issue of the status of East Timor. During my recent visit to Indonesia, I took the opportunity to make that point to Foreign Minister Alatas. I was pleased to note signs of movement in Indonesia—specifically, the release of political prisoners.
My hon. Friend will also be pleased to know that I had the opportunity to meet Xanana Gusmao, who talked to me about his views on the development of East Timor. He was in good health, and I asked the Indonesian Government for his early release, with that of other political prisoners.